A lost puppy. A heartbroken child. And a family who'd do anything to make things right. For some, this may feel like the plot to a Disney film at best. Or a tragic story in the news at worse. But for 3-year-old Edward Latter, his family, and his lost puppy, it was a harsh reality. And it looked like there would be no happy ending. But that's when Simon f--king Cowell stepped in.

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Best Friends Forever

The bonds between humans and dogs are unbreakable. You don't get the moniker "man's best friend" for nothing. If you lost your best friend, what would you do? For three-year-old Edward Latter and his family, who lost Morse (pictured here) in 2017, the choice was simple: Do whatever it takes to get him back.

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Morse Went Missing

Edward and Morse were inseparable. "They are such good pals," his father Richard explained. And then, in December 2017, the unthinkable happened: Morse went missing. "Morse escaped from the garden - he is a bit of a tunneller - he tunnelled under the fence and escaped on the road," said Richard.

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Outrageous Nerve

Richard and his partner, Amanda Hopkins, received information from a witness to a couple in a pickup truck who snatched Morse and drove away. The witness was going to pick up Morse herself, but as Richard explained, "Almost in the same moment the chap got out of the truck and picked him up saying 'don’t worry, the dog belongs to a friend of ours. We will take it back to them'. It was outrageous nerve."

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False Leads

In England, where the crime took place, mass surveillance cameras (known as CCTV) are common. Unfortunately, the dash cam on the witness' car wasn't working when the couple stole Morse. Furthermore, while following up on a lead involving the same pickup at a burger place, the CCTV wasn't usable, as the restaurant "only had a small memory stick."

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The Heartbreaking Truth

To spare Edward's feeling, Richard and Hopkins tried to depict Morse's disappearance as him having "gone on an adventure." Unfortunately, after a trip to visit Edward's cousins, who had a pet dog themselves, Edward's increasing questions meant Richard could no longer hide the truth. "That bit was heartbreaking and we did not really have an answer for him," said Richard.

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Dear Father Christmas

"It is starting to sink in that it is not going to be a very good Christmas at all," said Richard when Morse was not found by the holiday. Edward penned the following heartbreaking letter to Santa in response: "Dear Father Christmas, I just want one present for Christmas this year, my dog Morse back. I’ve been a very good boy all year. Thank you, Edward."

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Get Morse Home

The family began a physical and digital flyering campaign to get Morse home. They took to the streets of Marden, Kent with posters, and began a social media campaign on Facebook. "We’ve had people e-mailing us photos and snippets of information. It’s really nice that people are out there actively helping us," said Richard.

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The X Factor

The normally misanthropic Simon Cowell, a judge and producer of American Idol and The X Factor, was so touched by Edward and Morse's story that he offered 10,000 pounds (roughly 14,000 American dollars) to anyone who came up with the pup. Cowell, an owner of three dogs himself, made a statement through a spokesperson: "Dogs are so important to so many of us. We just hope it helps lead to the safe return of Morse."

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Homeward Bound

Thankfully, in January 2018, Morse found his way home to his family, and Edward was reunited with his best friend. When a couple on a walk in Meopham (twenty miles away from Morse's home of Marden, Kent) saw a "muddy dog walking through their street", they immediately called Richard and Hopkins and sent a photo.

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The Trip

Edward, Richard, and Hopkins made the trip to Meopham, trying not to get their hopes up. Even upon seeing his family call him, Morse, looking tired and disheveled, did not come. Edward, however, was convinced this was their dog. "He was absolutely over the moon," said Richard of his son.

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Without A Doubt

The Latter family, wanting to be absolutely certain, visited a vet to have Morse's chip scanned. When the proof was incontrovertible -- this was Morse -- the family became elated and emotional. "We instantly broke down in tears," said Richard. "I was delirious for a few seconds, it was absolutely wonderful, we were just hugging each other, hugging Edward and hugging the dog."

Amanda And Tessa

Edward and his family are not the only ones who've been reunited with pets after unbelievable odds. Amanda Hulebak, a dog rescuer herself, lost her beloved dogs Tessa and Ray in 2011. Six years later, she was called out of the blue by Missouri City Animal Control -- Tessa had been found. Regrettably, Ray had been euthanized earlier, but Hulebak vowed to make "a rescue in Ray's name."

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Cash Comes Home

In the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, a storm-chaser named Aaron Jayjack found a dog in Runge, TX. Jayjack took to Twitter, and the Internet at large signal-boosted his posts, in an attempt to find the dog's owner. Finally, Jayjack found the owner, and successfully aided the reunion, discovering the dog's name, Cash.